Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark — frequently asked questions
- Is Raiders of the Lost Ark on Steam?
- No. Raiders of the Lost Ark is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
- What platforms is Raiders of the Lost Ark on?
- Raiders of the Lost Ark is available on Atari 2600.
- When did Raiders of the Lost Ark release?
- Raiders of the Lost Ark was first released on November 1, 1982.
About Raiders of the Lost Ark
Based on the movie itself.
Summary via IGDB.
Raiders of the Lost Ark on Wikipedia
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1982 adventure game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600, based on the 1981 film of the same name. The game was designed by Howard Scott Warshaw.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600
- Developer
- Atari
- Publisher
- Atari
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy, Historical
- Series
- Indiana Jones
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
Label variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Label Error Variant | $15 | $41 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about 2 times a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.01 in Oct 2008, $9.49 five years ago, and $8.75 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $0.25 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $3.19 | $11.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $3.51 | $17.76 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.95 | $5.00 |
| Jan 2017 | $4.25 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $6.17 | $16.41 |
| Jan 2019 | $5.17 | $12.24 |
| Jan 2020 | $4.13 | $15.50 |
| Jan 2021 | $5.87 | $20 |
| Jan 2022 | $6.99 | $24 |
| Jan 2023 | $6.61 | $23 |
| Jan 2024 | $6.44 | $24 |
| Jan 2025 | $10.56 | $28 |
| Jan 2026 | $7.23 | $23 |
| Oct 2026 | $8.75 | $24 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Silver | CX2659 | Common+ |
| North America Atari | Silver - "Raiders Lost Ark" | CX2659 | Rare |
| Asia Atari | — | — | — |
Also released in South America by Dynacom, Polygram, Digivision.
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
Howard Scott Warshaw's ambitious Indiana Jones adventure, the first Indy game and still inexpensive.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is an adventure game for the Atari 2600, based on the 1981 film. Howard Scott Warshaw designed it, and Atari released it in November 1982. It was made only for the 2600, and it was the first Indiana Jones video game.
Common loose copies make it one of the cheapest ways to own a piece of Warshaw's 2600 work.
How it was made
Designed by Howard Scott Warshaw at Atari and released in November 1982, with a PAL release the same year.
What the press said at the time
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 1 | November 1982 | 2 joysticks |
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 9 | December 1982 | Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★ |
“In comparison to Activision's first attempt at a role-playing game, Pitfall, Raiders barely qualifies as a must-have for your VCS library.”
“is still another superb adventure game from Atari … Recommended. (retail $37.95)”
“We like this one a lot. It's an involving game that will keep you busy for many hours of exciting adventuring. Recommended.”
“Yes, the price is rather steep, but if you're a hard-core strategy buff, we doubt that you'll regret buying Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — stars in most years, diamonds in 1986–87 — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks.
Cartridge & preservation record
Program size 8 KB, measured from the preserved dump.
Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.
Worth knowing
- Atari mailed the solution. Atari Age offered a tip sheet "with seven helpful hints" and a "complete step-by-step guide to reaching the Ark", free from Atari Customer Service.
- A hidden signature. The Video Game Update noted "a special signature that will appear on the screen as a reward for especially high scorers."
- $4.99 by 1984. In March 1984 an Electronic Games reader reported buying Raiders of the Lost Ark and Astroblast "for $4.99 apiece".
Before you buy
Low risk. Most copies are the common standard label and cost very little. A label-error variant is priced separately and costs more, so if a listing claims to be that misprint, compare the label closely against the standard one and ask the seller to show the error. Standard Atari carts of this era are not reproduction targets.
Raiders of the Lost Ark screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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